Touched By Ole Miss’ Feel-Good Story? So Is Lane Kiffin And His Bank Account

It’s Lane Kiffin’s world and we’re all living in it.

Despite not having their skipper that built them into a postseason force, Ole Miss shocked the college football world by upsetting Georgia, 39-34, Thursday night to punch their ticket into the College Football Playoff Semifinals. There, they’ll play the Miami Hurricanes in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

It’s a feel-good story for fans to enjoy after everything the Rebels have been through ever since the Kiffin saga began, even for me as a Canes fan before we clip ’em in a few days. But we’re not the only ones, Kiffin is also enjoying the win, and not because he’s happy for his boys. (RELATED: How Much Are College Football Players Being Paid? Here’s Position-By-Position Breakdown Of Transfer Portal Costs)

According to a term sheet that was reviewed by ESPN in Dec. 2025, Kiffin’s new deal with LSU features an unusual provision: the university will compensate him with bonuses matching what he would have received had he stayed at Ole Miss to lead the Rebels through the College Football Playoff.

Kiffin, who finalized a seven-year agreement with LSU providing an annual salary of $13 million, is entitled to the identical postseason incentives from his new employer that he would have earned by coaching Ole Miss throughout the current playoff run. The bonuses started with $150,000 for the Rebels advancing to a first-round game in the College Football Playoff, rose to $250,000 with a quarterfinals berth, and could potentially reach up to a maximum of $1 million should Ole Miss capture the national title.

And as you see, he just cashed $500,000 for Ole Miss making it to the semifinals.

Friendly reminder that with the Ole Miss win tonight, Lane Kiffin is owed a $500k performance bonus. Paid for, solely by LSU.

College Football is a hilarious sport

— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) January 2, 2026

Just when you think Lane Kiffin is about to take a loss, he flips it to a win … say what you want about the guy, but I’m impressed.